Process of treating metallic ores or mattes.



I regulus is introduced into a closed drum to-' EMI L GUNTETER AND RUDOLF FRANKE, OF EISLEBEN, GERMANY.

PROCESSOF TREATING METALLIC onns on MATTES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, 1908.

Application filed June 18, 1907 Serial No. 379.535-

ing magnetic pyrites and the separating of nickel and of copper contained in such ores.-

It is known that the metals contained in the said ores can be concentrated by converting the ores into matte or copper-nickel-regulus which may bedone by treatin the ores in suitable furnaces. However til now there exists no satisfactory process for obtaining the metalsthemsel'ves from said coppernickel-regulus.

The object of this invention now consists in a process of treating the said copper-nickelregulus and ofseparating the metals from same in an economical manner. I

Our. new invention consists broadly in bringing the copper-nickel-regulus to reaction with chlorin either in the form of gas or in statu nasce'ndi with the effect that chlorids of copper and nickel are formed and in processes of separating the pure metals from said combinations with chlorin.

The steps for carrying our invention into practical operation are different de ending from the-form in which the chlorin is brought to reaction with the copper-nickel-regulus. If the chlorin is used inthe form of gas we prefer to proceed as follows: The ground getherwith the solution of achlorid', such as sodium chlorid, calcium chlorid," magnesium chlorid, subchlorid of copperfand so on and treated with chlorin gas; The reaction which takes place if the temperature is not too much raised may be represented by the following equation:

mNiGh-lb CuCh(Gu Cl c FeC13(EeC (a +b. c S+eNaCL From this equation it canbe seen that the sulfide of the metals are converted into the corresponding chlorids or subchlorids, while at the same time sulfur vis set free. Under ractical conditions a more or less part of the sulfur contained in the copper-nickel-regu- Mattes, of which the and complete specilus is not obtained in chemical pure con'- dition, but in the form order to reduce the quantity of sulfuric acid it is necessary to take care that the temperature is permanently kept at an invariable oint. The metals contained in the co per-nickelre us being converted into t e form of c ori'ds, the solid particles are separated from the solution and the solution 1s freed from sulfuric acid and other impurities so that, technically speaking, a ure nickelcopper-solution is o tained. his nickelcopper-solution is electro'lyzed with insoluble anodes. Copper is deposited at the cathode portions of copper-nickel-regulus. The electrolyte becomlng poorer in copper during the electrolyzing rocess, fresh coppennickelsolution is a ded continuously or inter- Inittently till the contents of the bath in nickel is raised to certain desired concentration. Now the bath is freed from copper preferably by electrolysis and by precipitating the last traces of the copper by chemical reagents, forinstance by metallic nickel. The bath solution purified from co per and formin then asolutionof subchlori of nickel is likewise electrolyzed after purification with insoluble anodes. In this electrolyzing process chlorin is again set free and may be used for treatin fresh portions of the cop ernickel-regu us. The nickel is deposite at the cathode in the same way as in the former electrolyzing process the copper.

The solid 'mass separated from the solution at the end of the chlorin treatment substantially consists of sulfur and small portions of sulfids. The sulfur may be extifacted by suitable solvents whereas the sulfids are added to fresh portions of cop per-nickel-regulus and again treated with chlorin.

vention into practical o eration we make additions containing go d, silver or other precious metals to the copper-and nickelcontaining ores or to the copper-nickelregulu's'. Ifco per-nickel-regulus into which precious meta .havebeen incorporated in l the said way is treated with chlorin gas, as above stated, the precious metals remain in of sulfuric acid. In

. In a modified method of carrying the in while at the anode chlorin is developed. The chlorin may be used for treating new into solution forming chlorid of gold which is precipitated on later cleaning of the solution. 'i

The process may also be used for producing' nickel free from copper from the so-called concentration nickel-regulus with about 75 70' nickel and about 0.2% copper. In this instance the regulus is digested in the above "manner with chlorin, whereupon the nickelsolution is chemically purified and electro: lyzed with insoluble anodes.

If it is intended to use the chlorin in statu nascend'i for treating the co er-nickelregulus we proceed as follows: The coppernickel-regulus is used as anode in an electrolyzing process in which the electrolyte is formed of a hydrochloric solution of copperchlorid in mixture with an alkalior earthy alkali-chlorid, whereas the cathode is formed of a sheet of copper. In such electrolyzing process at the anode chlorin is produced which converts the sulfids of the metals into the corresponding chlorids liberating at the same time sulfur. The effect ofthe chlorin in statu nascendi therefore is quite analogous to the eifect in the previously described process of treating the copper-nickel-regulus with chlorin in the form of gas. The chlorin which is developed by the electrolytic decom osition of the bath solution is entirely used for bringing metal into solution. the cathode copper is deposited. In view of the fact that at the cathode more co per is deposited than is dissolved at the ano e, it is necessary to introduce continuously or intermittently co per salt into the bath which may be ro uced in the manner hereafter described? In the bath solution nickel accumulates, whereas the contents in copper is kept at an invariable suitable concentration. If after a certain time the concentration of the bath solution in nickel, iron, and other salts is raised to a point that it interferes with the depositing of the copper, the bath solution is drawn off and electrolyzed in othervats with insoluble anodes in order to free it as far as possible from copper and finally the last ortions of copper are chemically deposited In this way a chemical pure nickel-subchlorid-solution is obtained and electrolyzed with insoluble anodes. In this way ure nickel is de osited at the cathode, wiiereas at the ano e chlorin is developed which is just sufficient for treating copper ores containing oxygen or sulfur combinations of copper with the effect of producing the copper salt which is necessary in order to carry out the electrolyzing process of the.copper-nickel-regulus after treating with chlorin in statu nascemi'i.

The above process may also be used for producing nickel free treating concentrated nickel-regulus and for from copper, from such regulus.

We are aware thatit has already been proposed to treat ores and matte with chlorin. However in this instance the products of reaction were afterwards treated with hydrochloric .acid or with other reagents or the metal chlorids were converted into sulfates, whereas in our process the products of conversion which are obtained after treating the 'copper-nickel-regulus with chlorin are directly used for depositing the metals contained therein. Also the Browne process which co'pper nic'keh matte is at first roasted offers disadvanta es which are avoided in our process, such isadvantages consisting especially in the difliculty of completely absorbing the roasting gases.

We wish -to be understood that in the following claims the term copper-nickel-regulus is intended to cover all kinds of matte containing copper and nickel'even if one of these two metals is only present in ve small portions. Furthermore the term a kali is used in abroad sense so as to cover not only the alkalies pro erly spoken but also the socalled earthy alka ies.

Having now described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1'. In extracting metallic ores and matte as anode in a bathof chlorid of copper with addition of chlorid of alkali in presence of free hydrochloric acid, salt-into the bath during the electro ytic process separatin the solution when rich in nickel from the so id residue of the anode and eliminating the contents incopper from the solution. a

2. The method of obtaining pure metallic copper and nickel from copper and nickel' containing regulus consisting in subjecting the coppernickel-regul'us to electrolytic action as anode in a bath containing chlorid of copper with addition of chlorid of alkali in the presence of free hydrochloric acid'with introducing co per.

the effect of electrodepositing metallic copper at the cathode, introducing chlorid of copper into the bath during the electrolytic process, separating the solution when rich in nickel from the solid residue of the anode,- electrolyzing the drawn off solution with in soluble anodes for electrolytically depositing the main portion of copper contained therein, chemically precipitating the rest of the copper out of the bath, electrolyzing the nickel salt solution obtained in this way with insoluble anodes with the effect of electrodepositing pure metallic nickel, using the In Witness whereof we have hereunto set chlorin formed at the anode for producing our hands in the presence of two witnesses. chlorid of copper from suitable copper ores, EMIL GUNTHER. and. using such chlorid of copper as elec- RUDOLF FRANKIE.

5 trolyte when subjecting fresh charges of Witnesses:

copper-nickelregulus, as anode, to elec- VILMA FRANKE, trolytic action. RUnoLPH FRIOKE. 

